The biggest time-wasters in your workshop?

Biggest timewaster?

Clutter. (or, "bling" if you are over here on this side of the atlantic!)

Not sure what to do about it, though! I'm trying to reduce horizontal surfaces so that things are put away when finished with, but it's difficult...

Another JohnS.

Edited By John Alexander Stewart on 28/01/2013 14:54:04

swambo is the biggest and nicest problem. She seems to think that because of all the tools which I have I can make or repair anything for the house

No doubt about it - the phone and those damned cold callers who interrupt my train of thought and it then takes me another hour to rethink and pick up the thread of what I was trying to do. Found a solution, work especially well with those from Far Eastern call centres - learnt a bit of basic Welsh and now as soon as I hear the telltale signs asked 'Pwy ydychi chi?' (who are you?) - repeat several times if they don't comprehend (trust me, they don't) - they always hang up and for some reason never call back - dunno why but it now lets me get on undisturbed. BBC Wales 'Catchphrase' series, unit 3, will tell you how to pronounce it - go on, give it a go, you know you want to!.

Robin

Firstly, join the Telephone Preferential Service which'll kill 95% of cold calls and next time you get one, just tell them you're sorry but you don't have a phone and then hang up.

Chris that's good advice, but our experience is that having signed up with TPS some ten years ago we find it doesn't stop cold calls by any means - even more irritating when it's an ex directory number (and no, their complaints procedure isn't effective, either!). Since adopting my tactic the number of repeat calls has dropped significantlly - good enough for me.

Robin

This website....

Neil

Trolls.................

Moderating this forum! Roll on Friday!

Hi All,

I enjoyed reading all the replies. Comforting to think that I'm not the only one who can't find things. Nobody mentioned finding your glasses. I now have six+ pairs strategically placed but then they often mysteriously migrate into the house at times...

I've sorted my sharpening problems with bits etc. like Springbok and others. I converted an Aldi grinder with new white and diamond wheel. With the HH attachments. It works very well.

The only reason I havn't got a QCTP yet is down to dithering about which one to make. Thanks for the pointer to the Norman/ Drummond one. I have looked at many of the designs but not that one.

I found that the causes of timewasting change as you slowly built up a basic collection of "essential kit". Ian, my metal press has only added to the problem. You see the shelves are a bit deep and things play hide and seek in the dark in there.

Oh yes, I've a fine collection of future projects filed away....all collected from this Forum and others over many hours spent online, when the time could maybe be better spent in the workshop actually making some of them.

Another afliction is when word gets out that you're a bit handy at things. You know the job that nobody else could fix. How we vainly rise to the challenge every time, even though you promised yourself after the last one that "never again".

Still though, its not as bad as being like the "inventors" mentioned above. At least I could have a bash at actually making some of my bright ideas myself. That is, whenever I can find the calipers I had just yesterday....

John

My biggest time wasters are large lumps of metal that I need to get smaller lumps from. I have just started a 50% larger than normal Paddleduck so I am having to use the Armstrong special to go through a bar (at least four times) of 40 x 50mm MS to get the bits I need. At my age its sweaty, mind numbingly boring, painful, exhausting work even with a brand new Rothenberger blade fitted.

So there is my candidate for Room 101 - big bloody unyielding lumps of stubborn, sullen, sodding steel!!!!!

Pass the tea vicar

ATB

Stuart

I sympathise S Chesher but what is a Rothenburger blade?

Hello Merlin - Rothenberger make what I consider to be the best hacksaw blades money can buy. They retain their sharpness on all materials far longer than any other blades that I have used over the last 50 years. In addition they are so tough that it is very difficult to snap them.

Having made one last for a year (and it is still sharp) I have eleven left that I paid a quid for at a car boot sale (yard sale if you are across the pond from the UK) and I reckon at this rate I'll never have to buy another blade for the rest of my natural.

My blade details:

They are white in colour and are marked:

HSSE 4 PLUS biFLEX

300 x 13 x 0.65

24 Z/1" No. 7.1213

ATB

Stuart

Starrett hacksaw blades are excellent. They last even longer when you have a bandsaw

Neil

I hate you Neil !

Thanks Stuart C - found them on Ebay.

Years ago when I made my 12 Dickson-style toolholders I hand sawed each one from a block of about 2" x 3" mild steel. Then the main block had to be made.

No choice, at the time.

After I hand cut all the steel for the bench for my lathe, mostly 50 x50 x6mm angel iron, and 4" x 2" x3/8" channel, I built myself a power hack saw, had to cut all the steel for that by hand too. Ian S C

I made a mechanical 12" hacksaw from a design in Model Eng, I think it was, but although it had a dashpot it didn't lift at the end of each stroke so it needed constanr nursing to avoid jamming.

Biggest timewaster ! ME! Oh and i did mention losing my glasses in another thread somewhere.

Cheers Derek.

David,

Please do not edit this thread it is a bit of harmless fun and good luck in your new venture.
We may meet up on the Bristol SMEE club stand this year.
Glasses, my wife has a spare pare hidden well away from me and produces them when I say "cannot find my glasses" now put these on and go find them. Ah well she was one of the old fashioned matrons at Guyes. If anyone is mildly interested the tunnels are still there where patients were taken from one building to the other under the road. saw it again a few years ago at a reunion and was amazed at the interesting graphiti that young nurses can come up with. We used to dash through at great speed and never looked at the walls.

Bob